Clamp for slicing machines



June 12, 1928.

C F. M. VAN BERKEL CLAMP FOR SLICING MACHINES Filed Aug. 16, 1926 'J BABM Patented June 12, 1928.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GORNELIS F. M. VAN BERKEL, OF ROTTERDA'M, NETHERLANDS, ASSIGINOR TO U. S.

SLICING MACHINE COMPANY, OF LA. PGRTE, INDIANA, A. CORPORATION OF IN- DIANA.

Application filed August 16, 1926, Serial 1%.

This invention relates to a clamp for meat or other material especially designed for holding the meat upon the reciprocating table of a slicing machine. The object 5 of the invention is to provide a. clamp of this nature which may be supported in such manner that it will not interfere with movement of the material onto or oil of the table, and will permit the clamp to be adjusted from a single handle.

A further object is to provide a locking device for the meat clamp which will operate automatically in response to movement of the end of theclamp spaced from the locking device.

Afurther object is to provide a locking device for a meat clamp which shall he of improved construction and operation. Other objects will appear from the following description.

The invention is exemplified in the combination and "arrangement of parts shown in the accompanying drawing and described in the following specification and it is more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawing 1 Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a meat clamp showing one embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the clamp shown in Fig. 1. a

The numeral 10 denotes the feed table for supporting meat or other material to be fed to the slicing machine. The table is'provided with upright standards 11 and 12 at diagonally opposite corners thereof, leaving the forward corner adjacent the operator unobstructed to permit the material to be moved easily onto and off of the support. A slide 13 is mounted on the standard 11 and provided with upper and lower sleeves 14 and 15 having an easy sliding fit on the standard 11 and spaced from each other a sutlicientdistance to insure easy sliding movement and prevent the slide 13 from cant-ins: a sufficient amount to cause the edges of the sleeves to bite into the standard 11 so as to interfere with free sliding movement.

A clamping bar 16 is pivoted at 17 to the slide 13 and provided with an oblong opening 18 surrounding the standard 11. A dam ing ring surrounds thestandard 11 above he met it and has its edge CLAMP FOR SLICIN G BIACHINES.

129,413, and in Germany November 12, 1925.

ing on a pin 20 on the slide 13. The inner edge of the ring 19 carries an adjustable stop screw 21 which engages the bar 16 when the bar is swung upwardly on its pivot 17. A spring 22 is placed between the ring 17 and the sleeve 14 to supplement the action of gravity in swinging the ring downwardly to a positionin which it bites into the standard 11 and locks the slide 13 against upward movement. When the bar 16 is tilted upwardly to contact with the screw 21, the ring 19 will be lifted about its pivotal supporting pin 20 out of locking engagement with the standard 11 so that the slide 13 may be moved upwardly by upwardly directed force on the bar 16. It will be seen that the locking mechanism is separate from the guide sleeves 1e and 15 so that the guide sleeves may be arranged to accurately fit the sta'ndard 11 and slide freely thereon, as no looking action on the part of the guide sleeves is required. l y i TheLend of the clamping bar 16 opposite the slide 13 is pivotally connected by a bolt 23 to a swivel pin 24 journalled in the end of a supporting arm 25. Rotation of the pin 2-1 in the arm 25 is limited by a stop pin 26 which operates in an elongated slot 27 in the arm 25. A spring 28 surrounds the pin 24 and has one end connected to the pin 24 and its opposite end secured to the cross bar 16. The arm 25 is provided with a sleeve 29 slidably mounted on the standard 12 and provided with any suitable locking mechanism such as a clutch plate 30 having a spring 31 for causing the plate to grip the standard 12 to resist upwardmovement and having a plunger 32 by means of which the plate may be released to permit upward movement of the sleeve 29.

In operation, the material to be sliced is placed on the table 10 beneath the clamping bar 16 and the handle 33 moved downwardly.

"This will lower the bar 25 and the slide 13 will move downwardly to permit the lower end of the clamping bar16 adjacent the slide 13 to engage the meat. The [handle 33' is then forced downwardly pressing the clamp 16 firmly upon the top of the piece of meat. The upward pressure of the meat will tend to raise the slide 13 but this will be prevented by the clamping plate whieh will bite into the standard 11. Theend cf the har 16 secured to the arm 25 are lie held dowii wardly by the locking plate 30. When it is desired to release the meat, the operator will press upwardly on the plunger 32, releasing the clamping plate 30 which will permit him to lift the handle 38. The upward movement of the handle 33 will raise the bar 25 and tilt the bar 16 into the position shown in Fig. 1. The bar 16 will then engage the stop screw 21 and release the clamping ring 19. After the ring 19 has been released, further tilting movement of the bar 16 will be prevented by the pin 26 in the slot 27, so that the entire device may be raised upwardly by the upward movement of the handle 33. It will be seen that the clamp can thus be operated by one hand, leaving the other hand entirely free to place the meat into and out of position beneath the clamp, and since the front corner of the table adjacent the operator is unobstructed, the meat may be readily moved into and out of position beneath the clamping bar.

I claim 1. A clamp for holding material to be sliced comprising a clamping bar, an upright guide for one end of said bar, a sleeve slidably mounted on said guide, means for movably connecting said bar with said sleeve, and a locking element for said sleeve movable relative thereto and operable by means of said bar.

2. A clamp for holding material to be sliced comprising a clamping bar, a guide bar upon which said clamping bar is longitudinally slidable, the clamping bar being provided with a guide element, a locking element, movable relative to said guide element for locking said guide element on said guide bar, and means for releasing said clamping element by upward movement of said clamping bar.

3. A clamp for material to be sliced comprising an upright guide, a sleeve slidably mounted on said guide, a clamping bar pivoted to said sleeve, a lock ring surrounding said guide, and a pivotal support for said lock ring carried on said sleeve at one side of said guide, said clamping bar being arranged to lift the opposite side of said lock ring when said bar is raised, thus releasing said clamping ring.

4. Means for clamping material to be sliced comprising a supporting plate having an upright standard thereon, a slide engaging said standard and movable longitudinally thereof, a clamping bar pivotally mounted on said slide, a clamping ring surrounding said standard, a stop on said slide disposed beneath said ring at one side of said-standard, and an adjustable stop on said ring at the opposite side of said standard for engaging said bar when said bar is swung downwardly upon its pivotal connection with said sleeve to release said ring and permit said sleeve to slide upwardly on said standard.

5. A clamp for material to be sliced comprising a support having an upright standard thereon, a slide having spaced sleeves engaging said standard and movable longitudinally thereof, a clamping bar pivoted to said slide and having an opening therethrough surrounding said standard between said sleeves, a locking ring surrounding said standard between said clamping bar and the upper sleeve of said slide, a pivotal support on said slide for one side of said locking ring, the opposite side of said clamping ring being arranged to engage said clamping bar when said clamping bar is moved upwardly about its pivot, and means for raising and lowering the end of said clamping bar opposite salt slide.

6. A. clamp for material to be sliced comprising a supporting plate having upright standards thereon at diagonally opposite corners, a slide having spaced sleeves mount-- ed on one of said standards for vertical movement thereon, a clamping bar having one end thereof pivotally mounted on sai slide, a clamping ring surrounding said standard, a fulcrum member for supporting said ring at one side ofsaid standard, a spring for moving said ring about said fulcrum member into locking engagement with said standard, an adjustable stop on said locking ring at the side of said standard opposite said fulcrum member and arranged to engage said clamping bar when said clamping bar is swung upwardly about its pivotal support, and means slidably mounted on the other standard for raising and lowering the edge of said clamping bar opposite said slide.

7 A clamp for material to be sliced comprising a supporting plate having upright standards at diagonally opposite corners thereof, a sleeve slidably mounted on one of said standards, a clamping bar pivotally connected to said sleeve, a lock for holding said sleeve against upward movement on said standard, said lock being movable relative to said sleeve into inoperative position by pivotal movement of said clamping bar relative to said sleeve, means mounted on the other of said standards for raising and lowering the end of said clamping bar opposite said sleeve, and means for permitting limited angular movement of said clamping bar relative to said raising and lowering means.

8. A clamp for material to be sliced comprising a rectangular supporting plate having upright standards at diagonally opposite corners thereof, a slide mounted on one of said standards, a clamping bar pivoted on said slide and extending substantially parallel with one edge of said plate, a lock IOU for preventing upward movement of said slide on said standard, said lock being movable to release position by upward movement of said clamping bar on said slide, a support slidably mounted on the other of said standards and having an arm disposed substan tially parallel with one edge of said plate and pivotally connected to the end of said clamping bar opposite said first-mentioned standard, means for limiting the pivotal movement of said clamping bar relative to said support to lift said clamping bar bodily GORNELIS F. VAN BERKEL. 

